We've all had those moments, and we've all gone into panic mode. But not Rodriguez: "Before, I would have beaten myself up. But my boyfriend gave me some great advice. He said, 'Don't be angry with your body — it changed because your routine shifted.' And that was like a gift."

Nino Mu?oz / SHAPE

Rodriguez has learned her body will respond depending on how much of a workout she can give it.

As she notes, "I've got to embrace the fact that when I'm shooting 'Jane,' I can't work out as much. My body is going to look different, and that's OK. I'm not willing to wring the joy from my life to kill myself in the gym."

That's a terrific attitude, and in part it's led to her enjoying becoming fit all over again, whatever it means. With her boyfriend Joe LoCicero as her trainer, she's been able to do formerly impossible things like pullups. "I went from not wanting to do one to doing 10 of them," she told Shape. "It's one of those moments where you're like, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm pretty capable.'"

"People think I'm inherently super-confident and positive and that I don't fear failure," she said. "I do, but I just jump in anyway. ... You put yourself out there and expose yourself, and you just pray people will be empathetic, and not knock you down."